Yep, the wingers are typically having to rain in crosses which is a useless strategy without a targetman. We need them cutting inside and to reliably do that they need support in the centre to link with. As is all fullbacks when being faced with Duff or McGeady will be under instruction to lean inside and force them wide. They can't do any harm out there.
Trap seems aware of this and his solution in the last 2 games was having JOS and Ward push up to support their wingers but with such poor ball retention and the lack of pace in our centre backs we're very vulnerable to the counter attack doing this.
Just had a quick look at Andorra's home results in this group:
Andorra 0 - Russia 2
Andorra 0 - Macedonia 2
Andorra 0 - Slovakia 1
Andorra 0 - Armenia 3
Possibly Armenia result aside, there is nothing remotely comprehensive about any of the other results.
We've a track record of struggling in these sort of games and I just hope this game is approached without a semblance of complacency.
Obvious, but worth stating - we're not exactly well set up to demolish so called "weaker" teams with our creative brilliance.
I understand that many would argue that if you can't beat Andorra, you don't deserve to qualify. I just hope they are paid the respect that their home results in this group deserve.
Quoting years at random since 1975
Early goal please. Can you imagine heading past the 70th minute with the score still at 0-0 and their bus pefecting it's parking manouveres in front of the goal? Ugh.
An early goal, with a second before half time and a nice comfortable assured win.
i am hopefully (bordering on confident) that duff and mcgeady will have enough about them to flummox the inferior fullbacks and create opportunities for whichever 2 lads we have up front.
a poor performance though regardless of the result will result in the usual media backlash, but it seems they're chomping at the bit to deliver just that in any case.
A win. By any means.
A pal has just asked me for clarification on something.
If we get second and a play-off, we would definitely be a bottom seed, yes?
If so, are we automatically at home in the first leg?
My instinct is "yes" in each case.
Call up Gary Doherty!
I posted this about 2 weeks ago. I can't see how we'll finish in the top half of the seeds. I think UEFA said something different to who plays at home first though...
http://foot.ie/threads/63100-World-R...=1#post1530828
Originally Posted by kingdom
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Woops... got this from the UEFA site...
Originally Posted by UEFA
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Like I said, Stutts' instinct was sound.
So, it would be advantageous NOT to be seeded. Playing away from home is the way to be surely what with the bizarre existence of away goals in ET!
That's a assuming of course we believe that there are teams substantially better than us that we should prefer to get and think we should win.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
My Guarantee
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Thanks Kingdom. I knew there was a post about it. I searched but couldn't find it.
Seems to be the way alright. That's how it is in the CL. It's disgraceful in my view.
Conventional wisdom says playing away first is an advantage. I don't know how they got to that, so that now the seeded team usually plays away first..
I wonder what the stats are, where there are 2 legged ties between teams in an unseeded knockout competition,
does the team that plays at home for the return leg have an advantage?
I can't see nowadays how it does.
In the old days with travel etc you would see that it was which is a reason we have the AG rule.
The only rule that holds true in soccer is that the best team always wins, most of the time.
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